Going from motels to homes

Gov. Deval Patrick, members of the Legislature, housing activists, or families in emergency shelter ó everyone agrees that homelessness must end and we must do everything we can to get families out of motel rooms.

Beyond the basic essentials of a roof, a bathroom and beds, living in a motel or hotel room is not a suitable long-term solution for a family. There is no space or reasonable cooking facility, and the cost of housing a family is exorbitant, costing the commonwealth $4.5 million per month.

The Patrick-Murray administration has committed to working with the Legislature to substantially reduce homelessness in Massachusetts since day one, and in this yearís budget the Legislature and Mr. Patrick came to a consensus on reforms that will allow us to take the next step in moving toward a housing-first response to families experiencing homelessness and housing instability.

These reforms shift our focus toward preventing homelessness before a family is without appropriate shelter and providing more permanent housing solutions for families.

This comprehensive approach included an increase in the Residential Assistance for Families in Transition fund from $276,000 to $8.7 million.

This program provides up to $4,000 in flexible assistance to a family that is at risk of homelessness, by providing needed money to get up-to-date on rent or utility bills, or to help them move into a new housing situation.

Additionally, we have secured $6 million in additional funds for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program, which will provide rental assistance to more than 500 families this fiscal year. We also have boosted capital funds to construct and preserve more affordable housing.

Through these reforms, we are stabilizing hundreds of households in their current situations and allowing families to put down roots and move toward self-sufficiency. For those who need it, we have maintained a strong, emergency safety net through the Emergency Assistance program.

Not only are these reforms creating new and better potential solutions for families, but they will reduce the number of families who are staying in motels or hotels.

In Worcester County, as of last month, there were 65 families in hotels, including 145 children. Statewide, there were 1,765 families living in hotel rooms.

We need to reduce, and eventually eliminate, those numbers, and the reforms enacted by Mr. Patrick and the Legislature will help us do that.

We know there is still work to be done, however, as we put in place these changes and manage significant regulatory reform. Our goal is to have the best possible system in place, and we continue to work with housing advocates and others to ensure we are moving in the right direction.

Since the reforms in the budget were put in place, we have made nearly 20 changes to the new rules to help make the process run more smoothly. We are prepared to make more changes to ensure we are doing the best we can for families that need help.

Everyone in Massachusetts should have a good, safe place to sleep every night. The days of housing families in motels and hotels must come to an end, and the reforms put in place by the governor and the Legislature put us on the road to making that fundamental value a reality.

Aaron Gornstein is the undersecretary of the Patrick administrationís Department of Housing and Community Development.

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